Do You have Any Best Practices for Creating Video Content for Social Media?

If you plan on recording social media-based video content, SCORE has developed a series of best practices to help you produce the best quality videos possible.

Planning: Prior to capturing your video, you need to determine the type of content that will be recorded.

1. Determine Subject Matter: Cover a single topic to ensure the video clip is clear and concise. 
2. CTA and Prompts: Determine what action the audience should take after consuming the video.
   • What is the purpose of this piece of video content? 
   • Where can the audience find additional information on this subject?
   • Is there information that can be included in the copy to support the video?
3. Singular Post or Series: Decide if this video will be a stand-alone post or part of a series.

Prepping: What to factor in before you start to shoot your video clips.

1. Write Script: Outline your main talking points. Compose a script or bullets to stay on track.
2. Assign Speaker: Determine who will deliver the message in your video. 
   • Social Media Chair
   • Chapter Chair
   • Mentor
3. Finalize CTA: Map out the user's intended action after consuming this video content. 
   • Registration link
   • Find a mentor link
   • Volunteer link

Filming: Once you’ve completed the prep work, it’s time to hop in front of the camera and shoot your content. Please consider the following:

1. Equipment: Figure out what equipment you need to capture video footage. 
   • Video: Mobile device, digital camera or webcam
   • Audio: Voiceover, microphones or device audio
2. Video Duration and Orientation: Determine the ideal length and orientation of your video clips.
   • Duration: We suggest clips that are between 15-90 seconds long.
   • Orientation: The most popular video orientation today is 9x16, but this can vary by platform.
3. Location: Consider the lighting, noise factor and overall visual presence of your video's setting.

Publishing: You’ve shot your video, now what?

1. Editing Footage: After filming, minor edits can enhance the quality of your video. 
   • Ensure the clip is clear and concise. Trim any extra seconds off the beginning and ends. 
   • Add captions for accessibility. You can do this natively in the Facebook or Instagram apps.
2. Write Copy: Draft the copy that will be added to the body of the post.
   • Use this space to introduce the topic and reiterate your CTA prompts.
3. Schedule Post: Use SOCi to schedule video posts and watch the views roll in! 

View the FY2023 Full Social Media Program Overview here. 

Looking for more information about Chapter Social Media? Return to the Support Center. 

Still have a question?  Our social media team is here to provide additional guidance as needed. Please email socialmedia@score.org.